Go Fund me - Yes or hell no?

In our glorious years of embracing the full-time van life, we've practically become social media maestros, not quite but we’ve muddled through it!   We have spilt the beans on our personal life, our adventures, dropping wisdom for aspiring van lifers, and compiling the ultimate guide to cool places. Now, folks often wonder why we haven't turned into cyber buskers asking for digital pocket change.

Well, as mid-lifers, we figure asking for money is akin to pilfering Granny's purse, and that's just never been our style.  In truth, just like many others, we hold our hands up and confess that we often used to term “cyber begging” when we saw others asking for money to fund their van life travels around sunny Spain, enabling them not to have to work.

We get it, platforms like Go Fund Me and Buy Me a Coffee are all the rage with the hip youngsters, and we've even played the generous Samaritan, gifting a few pounds to someone doing something extraordinary that we admire. But for us, soliciting for a virtual cup of Yorkshire Gold, never made the cut. Our van life is a chosen lifestyle, and asking for others to fund our extended holidays, just feels plain wrong.

We've hit a few costly, bumps in the road over the years, like Heidi's dramatic breakdowns, those were not the finest moments. Fortunately, our financial foresight always had our backs, and despite the sweet offers from kind strangers of financial help, we graciously declined their offers.  Honestly, the kindness of total strangers has always been our biggest joy throughout this journey of ours.

Now, 2024 is shaping up to be a different kind of wild ride with our epic cycling adventure across America and our goal is way more than just racking up miles; we're out to pedal for a purpose, while raising a mountain of moolah for our favourite charity, Go Beyond, to get underserved kids on UK based free respite holidays.

People keep asking how they can hop on this crazy train with us, and the options are as vast as the distances that we are taking on. From words of love, uplifting messages, and pearls of wisdom to hard-earned pounds for our charity, it's a buffet of support options. And let's not forget those big-hearted souls who just want to sprinkle joy on our journey—be it with a virtual ice-cream, snack, or a comfy bed for the night.

After mulling over this modern gift-giving phenomenon we've realized we all want to feel like heroes, micro philanthropists, cheer leaders for good, including us, after all is that not the purpose of raising money for charity?  As humans, we're wired to help and love seeing others happy.

For the very first time, and with a hint of apprehension, we extend an invitation for you to become a part of our support team through our page, if you so desire.

Regardless of the way you decide to accompany us on this journey, if it brings you joy, it brings us joy too, and we sincerely express our gratitude. Whether it's a crucial donation to our charity, a thoughtful gift, a virtual greeting, or a friendly message, your contribution is the driving force that propels us forward.

We want you to know we appreciate each and every one of you fabulous folk for making our journey even more epic! Cheers to the open road and the amazing souls we meet along the way! 🚴‍♂️✨☕️

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